Provided herein are methods of producing fullerene derivatives, and in particular, a method of producing polyhydroxylated fullerenes and functionalized polyhydroxylated fullerenes.
A fullerene is a carbon compound composed entirely of carbon, in the form of a hollow sphere, ellipsoid, or tube. Spherical fullerenes are sometimes referred to as “buckyballs.” Spherical fullerenes generally have both pentagonal and hexagonal faces. The spherical C60 “buckminsterfullerene” is a common type of fullerene.
Since the discovery of fullerenes, various types of fullerene derivatives have been synthesized. Studies have shown that fullerene derivatives can exhibit important biological activities. An example of a fullerene derivative is a fullerene having a plurality of hydroxyl functional groups attached thereto. These polyhydroxylated fullerenes can be further modified to form functionalized polyhydroxylated fullerenes. Polyhydroxylated fullerenes and functionalized polyhydroxylated fullerenes are water-soluble and retain their water-soluble characteristic. Polyhydroxylated fullerenes and functionalized polyhydroxylated fullerenes may be used in any environment or application in which water-solubility is desired or otherwise required. Examples of such environments or applications include, without limitation, the following: biomedical, pharmaceutical, and medicinal chemistry applications (e.g., anti-oxidants, anti-inflammatory agents, diagnostic agents, therapeutic agents, and targeted drug delivery systems), dermatologic and cosmetic applications, nanotechnology applications (e.g., proton conductors and pigments), food chemistry (e.g., supplements to food and drink), and clothing applications (e.g., additions to fabrics).
Current methods of producing hydroxylated fullerenes and functionalized hydroxylated fullerenes suffer from low hydroxylation yields and process contamination, for example, by sodium ions. Thus, there is a need for a simple process of producing highly hydroxylated, high purity fullerene derivative compositions.